Jumat, 27 Januari 2017

CRITICAL READING: The Organization of Personality By Calvin S. HalL

THE ORGANIZATION OF PERSONALITY

Introduction
In his text The Organization of Personality, Calvin S. Hall tries to explain more clearly about the psychoanalysis theory of Sigmund Freud. In this text, Calvin S. Hall mainly talks about the differences between the three majors of personality exists in human soul that are id, ego and superego. He does not only differ the three of them, but he also makes the real application of id, ego and superego in human activity.


Brief Summary of the Text
Human personality consists of three major systems that are id, ego and superego. The three systems are a unity which has to work cooperatively in harmony to fulfill the man’s basic needs and desires. On the other hands, if the id, ego and superego fail to work in balance, the man will be maladjusted.
Id is the primary source of psychic energy that means that the id is the primary subjective reality, the inner world that exists before the individual has had experience of the external world. The general function of id is to pursuit pleasure and to avoid pain. The id does not think because it does not consider about values, ethics, and morality. Ego is different with id because ego works as the secondary process. The secondary process discovers or produces the reality as the plan of action that has been developed through the thoughts or needs from id. If the id works to serve the pleasure principle, the ego works to serve the reality principle. Ego work to differ which one is fantasy or reality. While id works through pleasure principle and ego works in reality principle, superego works through morality principle. Superego is the moral or judicial branch of personality.
Although id, ego and superego have their own definition but as said in the beginning, they are a unity. They have different process but the process of them can be distinguished each other. The ego is formed out of the id, and the superego is formed out of the ego.

Evaluation

According to Sigmund Freud, in his existence, every man has personality which is divided into three parts that are id, ego, and superego. By the psychologist Calvin S. Hall in his text entitled The Organizational of Personality; these three parts of personalities are explained as major systems of personality which form a unified and harmonious organization in the mentally healthy person. Based on his text, these three parts have to work together cooperatively, so a man can fulfill his basic needs and desires. If id, ego, and superego fail in working cooperatively, a man will be maladjusted. However, we think that the opinion of Calvin that id, ego, and superego have to work in balance is absolutely right. We also appreciate that Calvin started his text by explaining the role of id, ego, and superego in human life before he explained them, so the reader know why understanding these 3 majors of personality is important.

In this text, by referring to the psychoanalysis theories of Sigmund Freud, Calvin Hall explained the differences between id, ego and superego in a clear way. In his explanation about Id, he started with the function of the id and how the id work. He said that id work through pleasure principle and its function is to avoid pain and to find pleasure. As refers to Freud, there is a primary process in the id. It is very great that instead of telling the definition of primary process, Calvin delivered the “meaning” of primary process by explaining it from the basic step and he also gave familiar examples which is very easy to be understood. He explained that before primary process there is the earliest form of id that is a reflex apparatus which can happen because of internal and external stimulation. The example of reflex apparatus from external stimulation can be taken from the action of closing eyes when seeing a bright light, watering of the eyes when foreign particle enter accidentally, and the action of sneezing when something irritates the sensitive lining of the nose. For the internal stimulation the example of reflex apparatus can be taken from the action of opening of the valve in the bladder when the pressure on it reaches certain intensity and the crying baby when he is hungry. When the baby’s needs of food aren’t fulfilled, the baby will experience some frustration and discomfort. Then, these experiences will stimulate the development of id called the primary process as the result of the frustration. Calvin also explained the differences process between the reflex apparatus and the primary process. He also explained very clearly many unfamiliar terms related to the process. In the end of his explanation of id, it is very good that he characterize the characteristic of Id in a simple language so the reader can understand it.
...............................................

The lack of Calvin’s text is that Calvin did not explain about the three levels of consciousness in human soul which is also contained in Freud’s concept about psychoanalysis. The three levels of consciousness in human soul consist of conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. He also did not mention in which of those three levels the id, ego, and superego should be exist.
................................................

Conclusion

..............................................


Source:


Hall, Calvin S. 1956. A Primer of Freudian Psychology. New York: The New American Library of World Literature, Inc.

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar